Movement
Footwork Mirroring
Stick Evasion
Concept
Same-side Parry Up/Parry Down
Cross-side Parry Up/Parry Down
(Armed and unarmed variation)
Conditioning
Slap hands
Push-ups
Questions
What is the purpose of the stick evasion drill?
- will it be more effective if a shorter stick or longer stick is used?
- What part does footwork play in the stick evasion drill?
What is the purpose of holding the static push-up position and doing the slow push-ups?
How do these exercises translate into striking?
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3 comments:
Hey guys, it's James here.
In response to Randall's questions for discussion, I'd like to raise the following points:
What is the purpose of holding the static push-up position and doing the slow push-ups?
How do these exercises translate into striking?
The purpose of static holds for any exercise is to get the nervous system used to attaining and keeping good form - that is, a strong posture in any orientation of the body (defined by the particular exercise) that allows for the effective translocation of forces from one body segment to the other. The slow-moving variations teach us to maintain this posture throughout movement. Also, the emphasis on relaxation and breathing help in the elimination of the use of muscular effort to sustain the movement and focus instead on efficient mechanics and visualisation, all of which feed into the psychological basics of the System. Plus the sheer agony of long, long holds function as one hell of a character-builder ;-)
Systema jokes aside, tenacity is three-quarters of the battle when fighting, and these exercises are a good way of building that.
The above structural concepts come into play in both striking and absorption. In striking, it allows the striker to summate momentum from the point of generation (usually but not always the feet) to the point of impact (striking surface). Pushups in particular help to train for the feeling of proper hand-foot connectivity for grounded striking, as well as building fist alignment, while squats are an overall posture-builder and good training for level-change during combat. The plough position leg raises, I find, are good for overall spinal strength in both flexion and extension as well as a fantastic substitute for neck-bridging, and a good exercise to include in training for fundamental ground movement.
In absorption, it allows us to turn hostile impact into momentum which can either be translocated down into our structure and thence out again, or else across the body.
Either way, this deliberate welcoming of incoming force allows us to control its movement and cause it to miss our vital targets, and then simply throw it out harmlessly or return it as a counterattack.
James has given a great insight here. Any comments from Lye Huat & HCP? FYI, you guys haven't met James (he wasn't at the seminar with us) but James is part of the working group that was formed about 2 years ago that is exploring the S.O.F.T stuff.
We've covered the beginning of the Amok! Accessing module from the seminar on Wed, next week we'll begin work on the 9 Angles, 4 themes and yes, lots more push-ups and footwork to help us along the way.
Waiting to hear more responses
Hi... Lye Huat here.
I haven't anything much to say about the static push-ups, although what James said about it seems to make alot of sense.
Regarding the other questions;
What is the purpose of the stick evasion drill?
- will it be more effective if a shorter stick or a longer stick is used?
- what part does footwork play in the stick evasion drill?
In my opinion, the stick evasion drill is used to build effective footwork that will allow us to avoid and evade an attack within a shorter timeframe. This will help in fighting, as, when we fight against an opponent that is of similar speed or faster than us, we will be able to even the odds by using footwork to balance the speed differences.
As to whether a shorter/longer stick is better, I would think a longer stick would be more effective in training. A longer stick will have a wider radius which also leads to a wider area of contact. As I had observed, there seems to be two main ways of avoiding contact with the stick: the first way would be the more instinctive way, which would be to move completely out of the radius of the stick, while the second way would be to stick so close to the attacker such that the stick cannot move fast enough to catch the person (No hard facts, just assumptions, correct me if I'm wrong). In regard to these two main evasive movements, if a longer stick were to be used, the first evasive movement will be much harder to execute, since the reach will be further and one must move much further away in the same timeframe to avoid the attack, which will force the person to evade with the alternative movement, which is to stick close to the attacker (which would be a superior maneuver as it opens up a good opportunity to counterattack).
As for footwork, a good footwork would allow for more efficient movement, ie. being able to move more in the same timeframe, which could also be said to be increased speed and mobility. This would mean the person being attacked being able to evade the attacks more easily, as the person can maneuver and position himself strategically in a shorter time. Thus footwork plays a critical role in the stick evasion drill and is probably the main objective of the drill (although it can train several other things such as ducking and other evasive maneuvers).
That's about it. Don't really know how correct they are, just my personal opinion. Any corrections are appreciated, thanks.
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